1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for connecting coaxial drainage tiles and the like, and more particularly to a device of this type which is especially adapted to connect corrugated drainage tiles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is frequently required that coaxial pipes or tubes be joined at their adjacent ends to provide structural stability and to seal the points of connection. Field or drainage tile, for example, are conventionally used for farm drainage and are coupled together to provide a relatively long drainage conduit. It is desirable to secure the individual segments of the overall drain conduit in order to retain the coaxial alignment of the adjacent tubes, and also to prevent excessive leaking at the points of connection of the separate segments.
A number of specific devices have been devised for joining together coaxial tube sections. A typical tubing coupler comprises a band clamp which spans about the adjacent portions of the tubes and is tightened against the tubes by the operation of a lever arm. The adjacent tubes are then prevented from moving apart due to the clamp being tensioned around each of the tubes. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,774, issued to Wollin et al. on June 22, 1976, there is disclosed a clamp of this type which includes a lever mechanism for tightening the clamp members around adjacent annular flanges on separate tube sections. Several other patents disclose a tube coupler which comprises a band or other member which extends about the tubes and has opposite ends which are drawn together to provide a frictional fit of the band to the tubes, but these are as equally irrelevant as the Wollin et al. patent.
The present invention relates to a device for coupling drainage tiles and the like which have circumferential channels, such as would exist for corrugated tubing. The clamps disclosed in the above-cited patents are generally not well suited to use with corrugated drainage tiles and the like. First, the corrugations make it more difficult for the band-type clamps to be properly positioned adjacent the two connected tubes. In addition, the band clamps do not provide for preventing axial displacement of the joined tubes other than by the frictional engagement of the band with the tubes. The present invention utilizes the existing circumferential channels on corrugated tubes to advantage by using the channels to facilitate placement of the coupling device upon the adjacent tubes and to provide resistance to axial displacement of the tubes after the device is secured thereon.
In Canadian Pat. No. 769,622, issued to Hale et al. on Oct. 17, 1967, there is disclosed a grooved pipe coupling which includes a coupling member which spans the circumference of the adjacent pipes. The Hale et al. device does include upraised portions which are positioned to be received within the grooves in the sections of pipe. The Hale et al. coupling includes clamping members which are fixed to the ends of the coupling member and which may be pulled toward one another by operation of a pair of bolts and nuts which extend between the clamping members. Although the Hale et al. coupling does provide for substantial coupling of adjacent pipes, the coupling is disadvantageous in that it includes several separate elements which are involved in the clamping action. Moreover, the particular clamping mechanism utilized in the Hale et al. coupling requires the use of a nut which is threaded onto a bolt to effect the clamping action, and this may be disadvantageous if the coupling is used outdoors and is desired to be removed at a later date, since the exposure of the nut and bolt to the outdoors may prevent the ready separation of the coupling.
Other coupling mechanisms are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,161,310, issued to Loof on Dec. 15, 1964; U.S. Pat. No. 3,518,727, issued to Everle et al. on July 7, 1970; U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,684, issued to Sixt on Oct. 24, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,947, issued to Nelson on Jan. 11, 1972; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,239,254, issued to Campbell on Mar. 8, 1966. Each of the preceding patents discloses a coupling member which is wrapped about a portion or all of the circumference of the two coaxially-aligned pipes. However, none of these patents discloses or teaches the structure of the present invention utilized for connecting the ends of the coupling member to one another. The coupling member of the Sixt patent spans only a portion of the circumference of the coupled pipes. The coupling members of the Everle et al. and Nelson patents utilize channels or ridges which extend longitudinally of the coupling members, or in other words which may extend circumferentially about the pipes when the coupling member is in position about the pipes. The Loof device includes a coupling member which has a number of ridges which provide the connecting function for the two ends of the coupling member when one end of the coupling member is laid over the other end of the coupling member. The Campbell pipe coupling includes a coupling member which has apertures located at each of the two ends of the coupling member for reception of the connecting members, such as nuts and bolts. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,198, issued to Maroschak on Aug. 12, 1975, there is disclosed a cylindrical device utilized for coupling pipes coaxially by sliding the pipes into opposite ends of the coupling device. The Maroschak device does not include a coupling member which requires that the ends of the coupling member be joined subsequent to wrapping the coupling member about the coaxially pipes. Each of the coupling devices of the several patents cited herein include mechanisms different than that utilized by the present invention for connecting the free ends of the coupling member together after placement of the coupling member about the coaxial pipes.